Mumford & Sons Perform New Tune Following SXSW Documentary Screening

Posted 03/19/2012 11:47:29 am
by MTV News.

By Zachary Swickey

Those who attended this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, got treated to a multitude of different acts and heard plenty of new music from our favorite artists, including Mumford & Sons, who performed a short acoustic set that included a brand new song at the film premiere of “Big Easy Express” – a documentary of Mumford’s unique 2011 railroad tour.

The group played a casual set that included their documentary co-stars – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show – following the premiere of the doc at the Paramount Theatre in Austin.

Marcus Mumford and Co. even busted out a mellow new song, “Where Are You Now,” before their co-stars joined them for “Roll Away Your Stone.” Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros then borrowed the spotlight for their new song, “I Don’t Wanna Pray,” after which Mumford & Sons came back out to join them for “Wash Out In the Rain.” The bands wrapped up the short set with “Train In the Sky” – a song they wrote while conducting their railroad tour together, which is also featured in the film.

“Big Easy Express” is directed by Emmett Malloy, who is one-half of “The Malloys” – the directing team of brothers responsible for tons of music videos, the Zach Galifianakis cult comedy “Out Cold,” and the fantastic White Stripes documentary “Under Great White Northern Lights.”

The film chronicles the 2011 Railroad Revival Tour, which found Mumford, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show journeying 2,477 miles from Oakland to good ole N’awlins on a vintage train while playing shows at train stops right alongside the tracks.

Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford is more than pleased with the result, saying, “I think it was the best thing we’ve ever done. Watching it feels like going back in time.”

No word on if we should expect ‘Where Are You Now’ to be included on the upcoming second album from Mumford and Sons – the follow up to 2009’s multiplatinum, Grammy-nominated Sigh No More. Listen to “Where Are You Now” after the jump.